Electricity and Control October 2020

COMMENT

INDUSTRY 4.0 + IIOT

Maintenance matters M uch of industry is up and running again. Much of it will never again be the same. I have been intrigued by recent reports of the sudden and urgent need for what seems to be best described as emergen- cy maintenance in various contexts. To be frank, I have little doubt that maintenance has been lacking in a number of different sectors over not just the past few months – but possibly some years. In many instances maintenance is one of the first ‘cuts’ to be made. Furthermore, one hears tell of the view that ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ – and so on. All interest- ing and partly humorous. But maintenance per se is not about fixing ‘broken’ stuff – it is about ensuring things continue to operate reliably, and as they are intended to. This applies not only in the sectors of our economy that I imagine many of you are thinking about right now – but equally in all our industries. However, we do need to acknowledge that we have particular chal- lenges in the infrastructure space: whether it is power generation, water distribution, road or rail – we are found wanting in sev- eral respects. The warning we must take from this is that maintenance is critical in all spheres. Each industrial plant requires regular and planned maintenance. This is a crucial ele- ment of improving the way we operate, and carry on operating. There are numerous examples where maintenance plans can equally be used to

energy + information in industry

optimise processes, or introduce far more energy-efficient – or simply efficient – sys- tems and components. I have a sense that now is a good time to reflect on the following: either this economy nosedives completely, or we (as we have had to do so many times in the past) dust ourselves off and really hope the leader- ship of the nation has a clear insight into what is needed to grow the economy – in the sense of growing wealth, rather than simply continuing to spread the misery. I subscribe to the view that we will lurch back from the edge, rise again, and renew our commitment to being a dynamic and inclusive economy. So consider where you can improve maintenance right now – but also have a close look at efficiencies, new technologies – and planning the next steps to becoming even more competitive on the assumption that we get through this severe setback. The economy, much like education, is simply too important to be left in the hands of politicians. Now is as good a time as any to take ownership of the future and to im- prove the way we operate. Maintenance – and ensuing your plant is reliable – is a key component of that. Cutting expenditure is fully understood, but keep an eye on the face as we deal with the nose. Let us not also find ourselves shocked by sudden system failures and unscheduled or emergency maintenance.

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Ian Jandrell PrEng IntPE(SA), BSc(Eng) GDE PhD, FSAAE FSAIEE SMIEEE

Electricity + Control OCTOBER 2020

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